Avoiding the Headaches of the Season

With the holidays upon us, headaches become very common. To avoid headaches, the following is recommended:

If you spend a long amount of time in one fixed position (ie in front of a computer), take a break and stretch every 30 minutes to one hour.

Avoid teeth clenching as this can lead to TMJ and tension headaches.

Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to avoid dehydration that causes headaches.

Engage in low impact exercise to relieve the pain associated with primary headaches.

If headaches are chronic and persist, visit your doctor of chiropractic for treatment. He or she can provide the right course of treatment through spinal adjustments, dietary changes, and give advice on exercises, posture or relaxation techniques.

Tips To Stay Healthy During The Holiday Season

Whether you're scheduled for a long road trip, shopping for a small army of friends and family members, wrapping dozens and dozens of gifts or camping out in the kitchen to get all your cooking complete, major holidays can easily put your body at risk of injury. Prolonged sitting, prolonged standing, extensive walking, awkward positions, overeating and plain old mental exhaustion are all common when the holiday season comes into full swing. Here are a few common sense tips to assist in keeping you healthy and pain-free this holiday season:

Traveling: bring water and small snacks to stay well hydrated and to keep your blood sugar levels stable, wear comfortable shoes and clothing, bring along a small blanket and travel pillow, bring all required travel documents as well as any maps or reservations for rental cars and hotels, be careful and obtain assistance when handling heavy/bulky luggage and gifts - use a push cart or dolly and obtain assistance whenever appropriate and/or possible

Shopping: bring water and small snacks to stay well hydrated and to keep your blood sugar stable, wear comfortable shoes and clothing, have your shopping day pre-planned in regards to locations to visit and gifts to purchase, use shopping carts when available and take gifts to your vehicle frequently rather than risking injury by lugging pounds of gifts from store to store, be careful and obtain assistance when handling heavy/bulky gifts

Cooking: maintain proper posture while at the counter/sink, alternate between sitting and standing positions, take frequent breaks, stretch often, careful when using knives and other sharp objects

Gift Wrapping: maintain proper posture, stretch frequently, be careful not to leave scissors or sharp cutting objects on the floor where they can be accidentally stepped on or where they can be accessed by small children or animals, be careful and obtain assistance when moving or wrapping larger or bulky gifts

Holiday Eats and Treats: do your best to avoid over indulgence of those holiday eats and treats, maintain activity levels to counter act all that holiday feasting, avoid driving when you've consumed those holiday spirits

Treat Your Body To A Holiday Gift: if you find those aches and pains creeping in or just want to be in tiptop shape this holiday season, stop by your chiropractor's office and treat your body to the most valuable gift of all... the gift of health!

ACA Responds to Report on Construction of Essential Benefits Mandated by Health

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has reviewed the recommendations outlined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommending a methodology for constructing an essential health benefits package to be included in qualified health plans developed as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). “We look forward to working with HHS Secretary Sebelius over the next several months on this issue,” said ACA President Keith S. Overland, DC. “We will make our position crystal clear: that doctors of chiropractic can provide services in many of the broad 10 essential benefits categories in the newly regulated environment created by the PPACA – and we will work to ensure no language is adopted at the federal level relative to ‘essential benefits’ that would specifically exclude services provided by, or the participation of, chiropractic physicians.” At the request of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) late last year, IOM undertook a study to make recommendations to HHS on the criteria and methods for determining and updating the essential health benefits package. When ACA testified in January before the IOM panel charged with developing a set of recommendations for HHS, one of the items ACA stressed must happen is transparency throughout the essential health benefit determination process. The IOM keyed on this request and made sure in its recommendations that transparency is a vital focal point in the process going forward. Another ACA proposal, urging that HHS considers the wide range of patient protections at the state level in determining an essential benefit package, was also included in the IOM report. The IOM stated in its report that while state patient protections, or mandates, should not be given preferential treatment, they should indeed be subject to the same inclusion criteria as any other service. In addition, in an effort to protect patients, ACA recommended that HHS also create an extensive review process for patient appeals if essential benefits are denied. The IOM also recommended that HHS create a strong framework for appeals and other protections when implementing and updating essential health benefits. The next step in the process may be a proposed rule, open to public comment, issued by HHS. The department may also create a series of public “listening sessions” where individuals may be able to voice their concerns orally and in-person. The exact scenario for public feedback should be determined in the next several weeks. “Transparency during this entire process will be fundamental in its success,” said Dr. Overland. “We believe that through research, evidence and patient satisfaction, the services provided by doctors of chiropractic will not only be deemed essential, but vital, to the health and well-being of all Americans.”

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), based in Arlington, Va., is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. ACA promotes the highest standards of patient care and ethics, and supports research that contributes to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients. Visit www.acatoday.org.

Breakfast Cereals Packed With Sugar

With the holiday season starting up most of us will be increasing our intake of those holiday candies and other related sweets. With that in mind, it makes sense to increase our awareness of other foods that may not be as healthy as we might think. According to a newly released study, researchers identified 44 children breakfast cereals that pack more sugar in one cup than three chocolate chip cookies from a leading cookie manufacturer. Shockingly, the two worst breakfast cereals contained more than 50 percent sugar by weight.